This Side
by Dessa
Summary: It's foreign on this side. There's no place to hide and I don't think I'm scared. Please RR
1. Prologue

This Side 

By Dessa

Disclaimer: I don't own YnM or the story that this is crossed with. All I own is my ONE OC.

Author's Notes: This is my first YnM fic (and my first for the other fandom, too). Reviews are much appreciated, especially if I get mythology wrong (so I can fix it).

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Prologue:

Eyes blinked as they entered the darkened room, adjusting to the difference in light. A lone figure clothed in black stood in the room with a katana, practicing forms. The figure didn't notice the light coming from the open doorway, nor the presence of the intruder, so intent were they on their forms.

When the form was finished, they turned, as if just realizing there was someone there, and looked at the person standing there.

"You have a mission," the person said, and left, encasing the room in complete darkness once again.

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TBC

((Please Review!))


	2. Chapter 1

This Side

Chapter 1:

Disclaimer: Same as last time.

Author's Note: Yeah, I decided to not be mean and I updated both the prologue and chapter 1. I currently have up to Chapter 11 written, but I'm waiting for my beta readers to give me opinions (which reminds me, I need to give them chapter 3…).

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Along the tops of buildings, a black clothed figure ran toward the coming dusk, jumping from building to building. The figure had reddish-orange hair, pulled into two buns at their neck. In the figure's hand was a sheathed katana. The figure stared straight ahead, not taking in their surroundings, focusing completely on their target.

- - - - - - - - - -

On the street below, two men walked, one blond, one brunette. The brunette led, but not with his usual, easily excitable style. The blond followed, intent on their purpose. He gave off no discernable emotions.

Neither noticed the figure paralleling them along the building roofs.

- - - - - - - - - -

The twilight was pierced by a woman's scream. Both the figure on the roofs and the pair on the ground increased their speed, heading toward that direction.

- - - - - - - - - -

The sight that greeted the two men was horrific. A strange monster was crouched over a woman, with a pool of blood forming under her body. The monster looked up, sensing its new opponents, and the brunette stepped forward, as if accepting the challenge. The monster moved toward him, away from the woman, and the blond moved toward her, to see if she was still alive.

The brunette faced off against the monster, but before he could make a move, the monster turned suddenly, and charged the blond, whose back was turned. The brunette knew he couldn't get there in time, but before he could shout to warn his partner, another's voice was heard.

"Don't just stand there, get out of the way!"

- - - - - - - - - -

The figure couldn't believe the stupidity of the two men. It appeared that they could see her target, but to turn a back to it? The figure dove down and knocked the blond out of the way, and received a swipe of claws across their back. The figure yelled in pain, and the blond winced.

Across from them, the brunette started to run over toward them, but the figure looked up, and yelled in pain "No!" The brunette stopped in his tracks. "Destroy the mask!" the figure yelled, and, for the first time, the brunette and blond noticed that a mask did indeed cover the monster's face.

The brunette yelled at the monster, distracting it from the others. The monster turned to him, and, with a flash of light, the mask was destroyed, and the monster began to disintegrate. The blond helped his wounded savior up to their feet, and the brunette walked over to meet them. On his way, he stopped and picked something up off the ground.

The three looked at each other, green eyes meeting purple eyes meeting gold eyes, and then the figure passed out.

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TBC (Remember, please review)


	3. Chapter 2

This Side

Chapter 2:

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Author's Note: Well, this is where you start getting dialogue / action from the characters… let me know if anyone is acting OOC.

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Gold eyes fluttered open, and took in their surroundings. A warm bed, in a comfortable, yet cluttered, room. The wounds on their back had been bandaged, and the torn robes replaced with an oversized t-shirt.

"You're awake?" a voice asked, and the eyes took in the brunette standing over the bed. A nod was the reply. "How are you feeling?" was the next question, as he helped the figure to sit up.

"Surprisingly alright," came the response, as the figure took in more of the room, and the morning light pouring in through a crack in the curtains. "How is your friend?"

"He's alright. A little shaken up, but he'll be fine. He's sleeping on the couch." The door was waved at, indicating that said couch was on the other side of it.

"Where am I? This definitely isn't Earth."

The brunette looked down, sheepishly. "Yeah… about that… We didn't know what to do, so we…" He trailed off, then told the story of what had happened the night before.

- - - - - - - - - -

The blond was shocked at the figure suddenly collapsing next to him. He struggled to keep them from falling over, until his partner helped him.

"What are we gonna do?" the brunette asked.

"It was our fault that he was injured, it's our responsibility to take care of him."

"Her."

"What?"

"Her," the brunette repeated. The blond looked again, and, now that he had a chance to actually look at the figure, indeed noticed the two bulges on the figure's chest indicating gender. "We should take her back with us," the brunette continued.

"We can't do that! It's against all sorts of rules!" the blond protested.

"What else can we do?" The blond sighed. "We'll take her back to my place. No one else needs to know she's there." The blond sighed again, and the brunette knew that he'd won the argument… for once.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Sorry about having to change your clothes, but you're kimono was pretty badly shredded, and we did need to bandage your wounds." He was blushing. The girl blushed also, and then there was a knock at the door.

Without opening the door, a voice on the other side asked "Do either of you want something to eat? I just put a pot on the stove to make tea."

"How'd you know she was awake?" the brunette asked, curious.

"Why else would you be so embarrassed right now?" came the reply, and the brunette blushed further.

"Some toast would be nice to go along with the tea," the girl called, and movement away from the door was heard.

- - - - - - - - - -

Not much later, the three sat around the kitchen table. There was a silence not heard in this apartment before, and, as she munched on her toast, the girl realized that she still didn't know where "here" was. She was about to ask, when the blond started speaking.

"I called the office," he stated simply. The brunette paused in eating, leaving his toast hanging out of his mouth. "They know something's up. We're supposed to bring her in." He didn't even look at the girl as he said this, saying it as if it were an ordinary, everyday thing.

The brunette sighed. "We're gonna get yelled at, aren't we?"

The blond shrugged. "I'm not saving you this time. It's your own fault." The brunette sighed again, and then the trio finished eating, again in silence.

- - - - - - - - - -

Shortly after the breakfast scene, the trio were walking down a sakura-lined path to a large building. As her only clothes were torn, she had to borrow clothes from the men. Luckily, the blond was about her size, so a spare sweater and pair of jeans from him fit her.

"You know," the brunette said, as if suddenly realizing something he'd forgotten. "We never did introduce ourselves." He stopped, and turned to the other two, who were trailing behind him.

He held out his hand. "I'm Tsuzuki Asato."

"Tsuzuki-san," she repeated, shaking his hand.

The blond also held out his hand. "Kurosaki Hisoka."

The girl froze a moment, then also grasp his hand. "Kurosaki… san." The suffix was added haltingly, as if she wasn't sure which one to use.

"Akarui Mikan," she told them.

"Aka…" the blond started, but was interrupted by the brunette, who exclaimed "Mika-chan!"

Mikan looked at him for a moment, then walked right up to the taller man. "First off, it's 'Mikan,' not 'Mika-chan.' Second, who gave you the right to speak to me so causually?"

The brunette made a big show of jumping and hiding behind his partner. "Soka-chan… kowai desu!"

The blond sighed. "Please ignore Tsuzuki-san. His brain stopped developing at a young age."

"Soka-chan!" Tsuzuki protested, but dutifully followed behind Hisoka and Mikan.

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As I'm going through and making sure that the formatting is consistent on all of these, I've noticed that I forgot to put a footnotes on this chapter. Heh… here it is! Reviews please, and title ideas.


	4. Chapter 3

This Side 

Chapter 3:

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Author's Note: Finally, a bit of the situation is explained.

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Chapter 3:

"Well, here we are," Hisoka announced, as they stood before a door in the office building.

"This is where your boss is?" Mikan asked.

"Well, technically not our boss, but he's just as formidable," Tsuzuki replied.

Mikan imagined her boss, and the others ranking above her, and shuddered. She hoped that if they were to get punished, it wouldn't be too severely.

However, when the door was opened, she saw a man with glasses sitting behind a desk. Tsuzuki and Hisoka, however, still looked apprehensive, as they led her into the room.

"Good morning, Tsuzuki-san, Kurosaki-kun," the man said. Mikan again started when she heard Hisoka's name.

"Tatsumi-san," Hisoka replied quietly.

The man, Tatsumi, turned his gaze to Mikan. "You must be our visitor." Tsuzuki and Hisoka looked down, and Mikan just nodded. "It's not often we get visitors from Soul Society, let alone a member of the 13 Squads of the Court of Pure Souls." Tsuzuki and Hisoka looked up in surprise at Tatsumi, then at Mikan.

"I'm sorry, sir," she started, unsure of how to address him properly, "but I still do not fully understand where I am, or how you know me."

"Tatsumi-san, is fine," he told her, and indicated that she could sit in one of the chairs he had in his office. Tsuzuki made a move for another one, but a glare from Tatsumi stopped him in his tracks.

"I'm not surprised that you don't know about us. No offense, but you shinigami in Soul Society do tend to ignore anything outside of your own jurisdiction."

"Shinigami?" Tsuzuki said in amazement. "Mika-chan's a shinigami?" Tatsumi raised his eyebrows at Tsuzuki's pet name for the girl, and she just sighed.

"Yes, shinigami," she said. She figured she might as well fully introduce herself, especially to this Tatsumi person. "I am Akarui Mikan, a shinigami assigned to the 13 Squads of the Court of Pure Souls."

"This is Meifu, Akarui-kun," Tatsumi explained. "We are also shinigami, although we do not work for Soul Society. It is our job to assist spirits in crossing over, such as when they die an unnatural death, and to investigate strange occurrences. Tell me, what were you doing on Earth?"

"When I met you last evening, I was tracking down a hollow that I had been assigned to take care of."

"Hollow… was that the monster from last night?" Hisoka's quiet voice asked.

"Yes… Although I should have been able to defeat it before any innocent bystanders were injured." She was referring to the woman killed. "However, for some reason, the hollow was inexplicably hard to locate. Usually it's not difficult, because you can sense the spiritual energy it gives off. But this one seemed… I don't know… protected."

Tatsumi frowned, taking in this information. "Is this the first such hollow that you've run into?"

"Personally, yes. But I have heard rumors that other shinigami have had the same problem. And that these hollows have been seeming quite… organized."

"It appears that you may be working on the same case as these two," Tatsumi stated. Mikan looked at him in surprise.

"We've been investigating a series of murders," Hisoka explained. "The woman last night… it's the same as the other victims. It appears that your 'organized' hollows may be what we're after."

"But… none of this matches anything we know about hollows… It just doesn't make any sense."

"Could this have something to do with it?" Tsuzuki asked, taking an object out of his pocket. It was a small metal ring.

"May I see that?" Tatsumi asked. Tsuzuki handed him the ring. Tatsumi looked at it for a moment, then handed it to Mikan. "Have you ever seen anything like that?"

Mikan shook her head, completely perplexed as to what this object was. "Where did you get this, Tsuzuki-san?"

"It was on the ground where the hollow-thingy disappeared. I think it was on it." Mikan frowned.

"Can I see it?" Hisoka asked.

She started to hand it to him, but as soon as the metal touched his skin, he clutched his head as if in pain. Mikan pulled the ring away from him immediately, as Tsuzuki and Tatsumi, in unison, cried out "Hisoka!" and "Kurosaki-kun!"

"Daijoubu desu ka?" Tatsumi asked, as Tsuzuki forced Hisoka into a seat, checking his partner's condition.

"I'm fine," Hisoka replied. "It was just… The lingering emotions… hatred, anger, pain, and… and fear…"

"Hatred, anger, and pain, I can understand, if that was on the hollow," Mikan explained, although she did not understand what had happened. "But fear… Fear isn't an emotion we generally associate with hollows." She was quiet as she thought about what this might mean.

Tatsumi also was quiet, then stood up. "Tsuzuki-san, Kurosaki-kun, Akarui-kun," he addressed them. "I ask that the three of you work together to solve this case. Truthfully, as hollows are involved, it is Akarui-kun's jurisdiction, and not ours, but, as we have the data we've already collected, and this does not seem to be a normal case involving hollows, it seems in the best interest of all parties to work together. Is this acceptable, Akarui-kun?" Mikan nodded, and Tatsumi dismissed them.

"Well, where should we start?" Hisoka asked, as they headed out of the office.

"I need some supplies, if I'm going to be operating on Earth, so that should be our first stop," Mikan replied.

"Supplies? What kind of supplies?" Tsuzuki asked.

_Kurosaki-san was right… He is an idiot_, Mikan thought as she looked at him. "I don't exactly have a physical body," she explained aloud. "If I'm to interact with anything on the mortal plane, or question anyone, I'll need a body."

Tsuzuki looked at Hisoka questioningly, but his partner just shrugged and followed behind the strange shinigami.

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Sorry for how long it took getting this up… I was trying to wait for more comments from my beta readers (who have through chapter 4 right now)... glares at gus


	5. Chapter 4

This Side 

Chapter 4:

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Author's Note: Okay, got a title! (sorry, Efra, yours didn't work, 'cuz the Court of Pure Souls is barely in the story… although they will get to go there… but you are a great reviewer… I was more complaining about Gus, who is SUPPOSED to be my beta reader), and by now anyone familiar with the other story should realize that this is a crossover with Bleach.

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Chapter 4:

"Where are we going?" Tsuzuki asked. Just ahead of him, Hisoka sighed.

Mikan, wearing her repaired kimono and hakama, slowed her step to walk beside Hisoka. "How many times has he asked this now?"

Hisoka sighed again. "At least it's not he's not whining 'Are we there yet?' anymore." Mikan sighed this time, and sped up slightly.

"Here we are!" She suddenly announced. Hisoka and Tsuzuki looked around, and saw a small building, which appeared to be a traditional Japanese store.

"Here?" Tsuzuki asked. Mikan nodded, then walked to the front of the shop.

As she approached the door, it slid open, and a young boy and girl were standing there.

"Hey!" the boy yelled. "What are you doing here?"

Tsuzuki leaned over to Hisoka. "Shouldn't he not be able to see her?"

Hisoka hit his partner on the back of the head. "Baka. He obviously has a high enough spiritual power to be able to see her."

Oblivious to the two behind her, Mikan walked up to the two children. She stood a good two heads taller than them, and seemed pleased to be able to tower over the boy. He glared at her for a moment, then she knelt down and ruffled the girl's hair.

"Ohayou, Ururu-chan." She glared back at the boy, and then, as an afterthought, added "Chibisuke," at which point he turned around and went back into the store.

"You're here to see the manager, right?" Ururu asked. Mikan nodded. "I'm sure Jinta told him you were here. Come inside." The girl led Mikan, Tsuzuki, and Hisoka into the shop.

"Ah, Mikan-chan! How are you today?" a chipper voice called out. Hisoka and Tsuzuki looked to see a man they assumed was the store manager. He wore a green kimono-like shirt and pants, a black open robe over them, and a striped hat. Hisoka thought that his voice sounded somehow... familiar.

"Urahara-san," Mikan replied, bowing to the man. "I am in need of a few items. I also wish to speak with you… about a private matter."

The man nodded, and led Mikan and her companions to a back room. He gestured for them to be seated on mats laying on the ground by a table. The three did so as he left the room briefly, returning with tea, which he sat on the table.

"Now that we're settled, what brings you to my humble shop, Mikan-chan?" Tsuzuki noted that she didn't object to _him_ calling her 'chan,' but thoughtfully kept his mouth shut. "And who are your friends? It's not often that I see shinigami from Meifu in this neck of the woods."

"I should have known you'd know who they were, Urahara-san," Mikan replied, and then introduced them. "Tsuzuki-san, Kurosaki-san, this is Urahara Kisuke." Urahara's eyebrows raised slightly at Hisoka's name, but he otherwise showed no outward sign of surprise. "Urahara-san, these are Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka."

"Kurosaki, huh…" Urahara said quietly, but quickly changed the subject before his comment could sink into Hisoka's mind, and the boy questioned him. "I take it, as you seem to be working with Meifu shinigami, that you're going to need a gigai." Mikan nodded. "I've only got one in stock right now, but it is female, and an appropriate age. I'll even discount you for it, since you don't get a choice. You can pay for it, right?"

Hisoka felt for his wallet, unsure of what this man was going to charge them. Tatsumi only gave them so much money, and he doubted that the secretary had forseen this complication. But before he could think too far on this, Mikan had pulled out a cell phone from her robes.

"I've been saving up for emergencies," she said, handing the phone to Urahara, "so there should be enough on here."

Urahara looked at the phone for a few minutes, then nodded. "There's plenty, but be careful with it, maintenance can be pricey if you're sloppy with it." Mikan nodded understanding, and then stood up with the shopkeeper. "Right. So if you'll come with me…"

Tsuzuki and Hisoka were then left on their own, and Tsuzuki happily munched on the biscuits that Urahara had brought with the tea. Hisoka, meanwhile, was wondering just what kind of body that Mikan would receive, and why the shopkeeper had looked at him strangely.

A few minutes later, the pair returned, and Hisoka and Tsuzuki were shocked. Tsuzuki jumped up, and lunged for Mikan, yelling "Mika-chan!" but Hisoka put his foot out and tripped his partner before he could embarrass himself. Hisoka's eyes were wide with surprise, but he couldn't find the words to put in his open mouth.

"What?" Mikan asked, as Urahara handed her a mirror. Gone were her deep orange buns and golden eyes, replaced with sandy blond hair and green eyes. She lowered the mirror, and blinked, realizing the shock. Her gigai looked just like Hisoka!

"Urahara!" she yelled, leaping toward the man, but he jumped back before she could grab him.

"I told you, it's the only one I have in stock!" he told her. "Remember, I'm giving you a discount!" He spoke as one defending himself, but it was obvious he was having problems keeping from laughing.

"Enough!" Mikan yelled, snapping Hisoka back to the present as well. "I guess this will have to do. At least it's comfortable enough." She settled herself back down on her mat. "We need information now, Urahara-san." The man grinned, seating himself.

"We found this on a hollow," Mikan explained, as Tsuzuki handed him the metal ring. Hisoka slid back a bit, not wanting to touch it again.

Urahara looked at the ring critically for a few minutes, then sat it down on the floor between them.

"Do you know what it is?" Mikan asked.

"Yes," Urahara replied, and then was silent. When it looked like Mikan was about to protest him not answering, he spoke again. "You see this here?" he held up the ring, and pointed to a small marking on it. It read '12.' "A while back, someone in Soul Society had the grand idea of trying to create a device to control hollows. Needless to say, not a whole lot of people were pleased with this idea, and so the project was scrapped. This ring was one of the ones they'd developed. But they were supposed to have all been destroyed."

"Well," Mikan sarcastically remarked, "we all know how well Soul Society really is at destroying their 'scrapped' projects…"

At this, Urahara had to laugh. He remembered the last time Mikan had had to pay him a visit, and she had been 'attacked' by the modified soul known as Kon. "At any rate, if this was on of a hollow, than someone found the test rings, and, most likely, the control ring, and is using them."

"That would explain the hollows abnormal behavior, then," Mikan replied. "If they're being controlled, that is. But who's doing the controlling?" Urahara shrugged, he was without answers this time.

The trio stood up. Mikan bowed to Urahara, and then they left.

Once outside, Tsuzuki ran up between Mikan and Hisoka, and threw his arms around each of their shoulders. "You two look just like twins!" he exclaimed, only to receive cold glares from both of them.

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Well, here's chapter 4. Still need title ideas. And after this is where the REAL story starts. And it's gonna get complicated, don't worry.


	6. Chapter 5

This Side 

Chapter 5:

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Author's Note: This chapter is pretty much fluff. Just some exposition, primarily for the purpose of explaining Bleach for readers who don't know it. Slight spoilers up to episode 15/volume 7, but nothing after that (I'm really good at brushing things off). Anyway, it's interaction between Hisoka and Mikan, and getting things cleared up that the other party needs to know about.

Author's Note 2: If you were wondering where the story title came from, it's a song from Nickel Creek. The synopsis also has lyrics from the song. The choruses gave me the idea to use it as a title, and read as follows:

_It's foreign on this side_

_And I'll not leave my home again_

_There's no place to hide_

_And I'm nothing but scared_

_It's foreign on this side_

_And the truth is a bitter friend_

_Reasons few have I_

_To come back again_

_It's foreign on this side_

But it feels like I'm home again 

_There's no place to hide_

_But I don't think I'm scared_

- - - - - - - - - -

The hotel room that Tatsumi had reserved them was nice, and, from what Mikan got from Tsuzuki and Hisoka, quite a step up from what they usually got. There was a TV, couch, and bed in the main room, and a smaller, separate room, with another bed. Tatsumi had been thoughtful enough to make sure that Mikan didn't have to sleep in the same room as the boys.

When they reached the room, it was late, and Tsuzuki was openly yawning. Hisoka wasn't, but he seemed quite tired, too. Mikan grinned.

"Why don't the two of you get some rest. With the hollows' presence dampened by those rings, it'll be harder to feel them if we're all asleep. I'll wake someone if I get tired."

The boys agreed, although Tsuzuki pushed Hisoka into the separate bedroom first, so that he couldn't see the look that he gave Mikan, which clearly said that Hisoka wasn't to be woken up.

- - - - - - - - - -

Mikan yawned slightly. She was starting to get tired, but not enough that she'd awaken one of the others. She frowned. They'd found one hollow, and one of the rings, but… how many were there? She stared out the window, and concentrated on trying to find the hollows, but there was nothing. She pounded her fist on the windowsill.

A sound behind her made her spin around. Hisoka had opened the door to the smaller room, and was coming out, wiping sleep from his eyes.

"Daijoubu?" she asked him, remembering the look she'd gotten from Tsuzuki. Hisoka nodded, although, it appeared to her that he had a slight headache. "I didn't wake you up, did I? I mean, I know I was frustrated, but I didn't think that I hit the sill that hard."

Hisoka had been getting an asprin and cup of water, but now he just stared at her. "No one told you, did they?"

Now it was Mikan's turn to frown. "Tell me what?"

Hisoka sighed. "I guess we're so used to working with people who know, that no one thought to tell you. I'm an empath."

"An empath…" Mikan broke off, realizing what that statement meant. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I…" She took a deep breath. She understood now, why he had reacted like he did to the ring. She tried to clamp down on her emotions, and then spoke again. "For a lot of shinigami… well, **_my_** kind of shinigami… our power is linked to our emotions. The stronger you feel about something, the stronger your power is. I never even realized that it might have an adverse effect on someone else."

"It's okay," Hisoka said, the pain dulling as she started to control herself. "I'm kinda glad, though… I wanted to talk to you." Mikan looked at him, questioningly.

"Both you, and Urahara-san… when you heard my name, and when you speak it… I feel… I don't know what it is, but it's strange. Almost, a mix between confusion and surprise. Why is that?"

Mikan looked away, sighing. "I could tell from watching you that you had caught that, and now, I figure you caught more than I thought… It has nothing to do with you, at least, I don't think it does, but it has to do with us… I guess I should explain…"

"I don't know how long ago any of this happened, or, really, how much of this is even true," Mikan continued. "I'm sure you know how truth gets twisted into legends… Anyway, from what I understand, this is what happened:

"A shinigami, like myself, was sent to Earth to stop a hollow. Well… the hollow was after a boy, younger than you, I think, who had an insanely high spiritual power. His power was so great, that he could see both the hollow and the shinigami. Well, this surprised the shinigami, and the hollow was able to catch her off guard. The boy wanted to do something to help, so the shinigami offered to give him a small portion of her power, temporarily, so that he could defeat the hollow. He accepted, and defeated the hollow. However…

"He hadn't taken a small portion of her power, he'd taken all of it. And they couldn't figure out how to give it back to her. So he did her job for her, for a while. But… it's illegal for a shinigami to give their power to a human, even under the most dire of circumstances. So they came to arrest her, and kill him. He survived (thanks in part, I believe, to Urahara-san), and he and a group of other humans went to rescue her.

"That much, I'm fairly certain, is truth. At least, that much I've heard from Urahara-san, and it doesn't seem to contradict what I've heard in Soul Society. Many of the things I have heard, though… they're too insane to be true. But that much, I think, is true."

"What does this have to do with me?" Hisoka asked.

"The boy's name… was Kurosaki Ichigo." Hisoka raised his eyebrows, understanding. "Urahara-san… everyone in Soul Society who knew him… all call him 'Kurosaki-kun.' That's why I've been using 'san,' instead of 'kun…' It's just too strange to think that I'm talking to a 'Kurosaki-kun.'"

"I wouldn't mind if you called me 'Hisoka.'"

Mikan looked at him in surprise. "But… I don't know you well! It wouldn't be proper."

Hisoka had to laugh, a quiet laugh that made you wonder if you'd really heard him. "I don't think Tsuzuki has EVER called me by my family name. Watari-san doesn't, although he doesn't call me 'Hisoka' either. Tatsumi-san does, but that's just Tatsumi. It's not like I particularly WANT to be related to my family anyway…"

Mikan looked at him quietly. _Whatever had caused him to become a shinigami after death, must have to do with his family. How else could anyone not wish to be known as a part of their family?_ "Fine, Hisoka-kun… but on one condition." He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "That you call me 'Mikan.' It's only fair, I'd say." Hisoka nodded. "Now, if we could only get Tsuzuki-san to learn that my name is 'Mikan,' and not 'Mika'…"

"Not gonna happen," Hisoka replied.

- - - - - - - - - -

I promise the next chapter will be less fluffy and more story.


	7. Chapter 6

This Side 

Chapter 6:

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Author's Note: sob No reviews for the last chapter… either it was too fluffy to deserve them, or no one's reading this. I'm leaning toward the latter. Anyway, I'll make an exception this time, but, from now on, no reviews no more chapters. Even one will suffice, but more better. Because more inspiration to write more. And I've only got through chapter 11 written. Well, I do have the first paragraph of chapter 12 written… but… well, I know some of what I want to have happen, but not much. However, I do know how the fic's gonna END, and I want to do more stories with Mikan. However, those more stories hinge on the ending of this fic, so I have to finish this before I can do those.

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The next morning, Mikan walked down the street by herself, carrying a bag. She had volunteered to get food for the group. Well, not so much volunteered, as Hisoka had asked her to do it. Tsuzuki had offered, but Hisoka wouldn't let him go. Mikan was starting to understand why the boy treated his partner like a child. She smiled. True, they weren't like any of the shinigami she knew, but she was enjoying her time with them.

She turned the corner, knowing she was almost back to the hotel room, when she felt it. It was a hollow. Her eyes narrowed. She knew she should've felt it earlier, even with the rings causing the hollows to be harder to detect. She ran toward the source of the feeling, hoping that the other shinigami would feel it as well.

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"You feel that?" Hisoka asked Tsuzuki, glancing out the window. When he didn't receive a response, he looked at his partner, and saw him sleeping. Hisoka sighed. If whatever he had felt WAS the hollow, he hoped Mikan could take care of it on her own, because he doubted he could wake up Tsuzuki in time to be of much help.

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Mikan felt free as she left the gigai to fight. She tightened her grip on her zanpakutou, and leapt into the air. The hollow followed her with it's eyes, which, luckily, is just what she wanted it to do. As she came down, she brought her sword down before her, neatly slicing the hollow's mask in two. She smiled. The hollow's almost-victim had escaped, and she had taken the hollow down with no damage to herself.

She walked back to her gigai, and became nervous when a man was standing over it. _Crap_, she thought, as she slid beside him and back into the body. Green eyes opened, and peered up at the man through blond bangs. Mikan shuddered. She didn't like the way he was looking at her with his silver eyes.

"Sir?" she asked, and he held his hand out to help her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked her back. Mikan nodded. "I am a doctor, and I was worried about you. You were just lying there, like a doll."

"I'm fine," Mikan replied, eager to get away from this man. She picked up her bag, and walked away, not even turning around to see if she was being followed.

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"Yes," the man said aloud to himself, after the girl had fled. "You looked just like a doll… One particular doll, that I used to know…" He laughed, then disappeared into the crowd.

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((Author's Note: This was originally supposed to be the end of the chapter… but the next part was too short, and chapter 7 was already decently long, so I decided to include it as well. Let me know if I should separate it or not))

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Tsuzuki had woken up by the time Mikan returned. Privately, Hisoka figured that he sensed the food coming, and woke up for that.

"What took you so long?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Was it a hollow?" Hisoka questioned. Mikan nodded. "Any problems?"

Mikan was about to shake her head, when she remembered the man. "A strange man found the gigai while I was fighting. He was kinda creepy." Tsuzuki laughed, but Hisoka frowned. Mikan seemed to be a lot more distressed about what happened than she let on. "I think the creepiest part was when he said that the body looked like a doll…"

Mikan stopped, as she saw the expression on Hisoka's face. It was one of terror, and he was trembling. "Hisoka-kun? Hisoka-kun!"

Tsuzuki was by his side in an instant, shaking the boy and doing his best to emanate feelings of warmth and comfort to him. Mikan couldn't do anything but watch, concern leaking from her in large quantities.

"It's okay, Hisoka. He's not here. You're safe, he's not going to get you," Tsuzuki was whispering to his partner. Hisoka turned into his partner, letting the older shinigami wrap his arms firmly around the boy, a visible sign of the protection he was trying to project. Soon, Hisoka's body had calmed to the point that he wasn't shaking, and Tsuzuki helped him to his feet. He half-helped/half-carried the boy into the other room, laid him on the bed, and came back out, quietly closing the door.

Then he looked at Mikan. "This man," he asked. "Did he have silver hair and eyes?" Mikan nodded, and Tsuzuki swore under his breath. "I'm going out for a while… Hisoka should fall asleep pretty easily, an outburst of emotion taking him over like that usually tires him out. Try to keep a damper on your emotions, and he should sleep for a while. Hopefully, it'll be until I get back, but if it doesn't, tell him not to worry. I'm just going to check out a few things, I'm not going to try to pick a fight or anything. Whatever you do, keep him here."

Mikan nodded. "Tsuzuki…" she said quietly, as he was about to leave. "Be careful… You and Hisoka obviously have a past with this man, but even I could tell that he was dangerous."

"You have no idea," was his parting comment, as he closed the door.

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Reviews, onegai!


	8. Chapter 7

This Side 

Chapter 7:

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Author's Note: Before I get on with the chapter, I have a little story to tell. Last April, my beloved chaos (aka my computer), died. Yes, poor little chaos' 60Gb harddrive, one day, decided it wouldn't start up anymore. And so began my long months of torture, working on 'piece of crap,' my old computer (I won't scare you with the actual specs). It was, however, on 'piece of crap' that I started writing this fic. So, when chaos was resurrected (via new harddrive, and some other upgrades), I of course copied all of my files onto chaos' new harddrive. However, 'piece of crap' didn't copy all the files correctly, and I was stuck with some .zip files that wouldn't copy over. One of those contained the full copy of This Side… meaning it was lost, and I'd have to re-write it.

However, just yesterday, I noticed that I never deleted the .zip files off of the discs. Hoping that the problem was within one of the files, and not the .zips themselves, I opened the file, and found the full This Side! And lo, it allowed me to copy it over! So rejoice, for I can now continue this fic!

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Hisoka did indeed wake up before Tsuzuki returned. He looked much better when he came out of the room than when he'd gone in. However, his mood changed when he saw that Tsuzuki wasn't there.

"Where did he go?" he asked quietly, but Mikan could tell he was angry. She probably would, too, if she were him, and her partner had gotten her comfortable and asleep, and then went off on his own to look into an old enemy.

"He said not to worry. That he's just going to be checking out a few things. He said that he's not gonna try to pick a fight."

"Pick a fight? Muraki doesn't want to fight him, he just wants him!" Hisoka grabbed his jacket and ran toward the door, but Mikan beat him there, and leaned against it. "Mikan, move! I have to go get him!"

"No," she said quietly. "He said to keep you here. I might not be empathic like you, but I could tell that he wasn't planning on going off to fight on his own, to protect you." Hisoka glared at her, but she ignored it. "Hisoka-kun, we need information. I have no experience with this Muraki person except for earlier, so it wouldn't make sense for me to do the reconnaissance. You obviously can't, because of your reaction. So he's the only one who could go."

She steered Hisoka to the couch, and sat down next to him. He still had his jacket on, but she figured that she could beat him to the door again, if she had to. "You know," she started, trying to change the subject. "Shinigami like you and Tsuzuki-san, and shinigami like me, obviously have different powers. I wonder why that is?"

Hisoka glared at her, fully aware of what she was doing, but took the bait anyway. "I suppose we become shinigami for different reasons, so that's why our powers are different. I mean, we have different jobs, right?"

Mikan grinned at him, and leaned back and got more comfortable. "True, that. You guys track down people who didn't die like they should've, or that did when they shouldn't've. I take out hollows, before they can kill innocent people or spirits."

"You guys must be pretty good, you know," Hisoka said, with an almost-smile. "Since I've never heard of or seen hollows before, and I don't even know if they're in our demon database."

"Hollows aren't demons," Mikan explained to him. "They're spirits, who have some reason why they can't move on. Whatever that problem is, it eats them up, making them 'hollow' on the inside, and that emptiness takes them over. I think that's why they go after 'plusses.' People and spirits with high spiritual power have that _thing_ that they lack." She fell silent, and Hisoka could feel that she was uncomfortable, wishing that she hadn't started this subject.

"For us, we become shinigami if there's something left in our lives that we didn't complete, or if we seek revenge on the cause of our death, or anything else that keeps us from being able to pass on." He didn't elaborate, and Mikan couldn't tell which category he fell into. Heck, for all she knew, he fit into all three.

"In Soul Society, there's an academy. If your spiritual power is high enough, and you get accepted, you can train to become a shinigami. When I died… I was killed by a hollow. The shinigami who was trying to defeat it… didn't get there in time. The hollow killed me, and almost killed my little brother… I hated it. That feeling of helplessness, of powerlessness." Hisoka nodded, understanding her feelings. "When the shinigami took me to Soul Society, I asked him what I had to do to become a shinigami, like him. I wanted to be able to protect people like he did, so that other little brothers wouldn't have to cry when their sisters died. I don't know why other souls choose to become shinigami, but that's why I did." After she finished, silence came upon both of them.

Hisoka looked like he might've been able to say something, when they felt it. It was definitely a hollow. Mikan grabbed her jacket, and as they reached for the door, it opened from the other side, revealing an out-of-breath Tsuzuki. The three locked eyes, then Tsuzuki nodded, and they took off in a run for the park, where the feeling was coming from.

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Review, onegai shimasu!


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